Detachable ladder handrail



June 9, 1964 A. SWEENEY ETAL DETACHABLE LADDER HANDRAIL Filed July 23,1962 50 w FIG.4.

INVENTORS FIG.3.

Alexander Sweeney 8 Richard Meyer ATTORNEY United States Patent3,136,384 DETACHABLE LADDER HANDRAIL Alexander Sweeney, 15 Bailey Drive,and Richard Meyer, 18 Bailey Drive, both of Amityville, N.Y. Filed July23, 1962, Ser. No. 211,494 Claims. (Cl. 182--106) This invention relatesto ladder handrail attachments employed in connection with ship-boardingladders and more particularly to a detachable ladder handrail which maybe temporarily secured to the side of a ship-boarding ladder to provideadditional steadying support for a person embarking upon or leaving theupper rungs of the ladder, the height of the handrail portion extendingabove the top of the ladder being readily variable by inversion of thevertical position of the rail attachment.

Whereas elderly, enervated or obese persons often encounter difiicultiesin ascending and descending shipboarding ladders, a new and usefulsafety rail attachment is herewith provided to assist such personsespecially while standing on the upper rungs or upon the top of theladder. Further convenience is provided by the feature enabling thevariance of the height of the handrail with respect to the top of theladder, notwithstanding the absence of movable, adjustable ortelescoping parts which may otherwise bind due to saline and humidenvironmental conditions. The removability of the handrail attachmentfurther lends to the practicability thereof inasmuch as it may beretired to storage when its use become unnecessary.

Consonant withthe foregoing, the instant invention has for an object theprovision of a detachable ladder handrail which may be instantlypositioned with respect to the side of a step-ladder and removedtherefrom equally readily.

Another object of the present invention is toprovide a handrailattachment of the foregoing character wherein adjustment may be readilymade with respect to the up wardly extending height of the handrail,without the utilization of movable parts for that purpose.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of adetachable ladder handrail accomplishing the objectives noted above,which handrail is of extremely simple construction, economical ofmanufacture, and highly reliable in operation.

Further and additional objects and advantages will become apparent tothose skilled in the art as the description proceeds with reference tothe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the detachable ladder handrail,operationally positioned at the side of a ship-boarding ladder;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevation view of a step-ladder showingthe detachable handrail'secured to the side thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary end elevation view of the illustration ofFIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary front elevation view as shown in FIGURE 2, thehandrail, however, being inverted thus providing additional height withrespect to the extension thereof above the top of the ladder.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of theinvention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings,FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show the detachable ladder handrail designatedgenerally by numeral 1, said handrail being a member of elongatedconfiguration and preferably, although not necessarily, of tubularcross-section. Essentially said member is seen to be comprised of a pairof equal length arm portions 2 and 4, said arm portions having ends 6and 8, respectively, and a centrally disposed oft-set portion 10,

said off-set portion being integral with respect to said arm portions.

Bolt receiving openings 12, 14 adjacent end 6 of arm portion 2 and boltreceiving openings 16, 18, relatively distant with respect to saidcentrally disposed olf-set portion 10, provided locations upon said armportion whereat hook-connectors 20 and 22 are respectively secured.Similarly, it will be observed, hook-connectors 24 and 26 are secured atbolt receiving openings 28, 30 and 32, 34 located upon arm portion 4,said openings 28, 30 being adjacent said centrally disposed oif-setportion 10, said openings 32, 34 being relatively distant with respectto said end 8 of arm portion 4. That is, distances a and b, adjacent end6 and off-set portion 10, are relatively shorter thandistances c and d,as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. 7 I

Hook-connectors, generally designated 20, 22, 24 and 26, are, it will beobserved, similarly Z-shaped. More specifically, connector 24, e.g., istypically comprised of legs 36 and 38 and a central off-set portion40,leg 36 being contiguously attached to arm portion 4 by bolts 42 and44 which are secured through said openings 28 and 30. Leg 38 is parallelspaced with respect to said arm portion 4, thus enabling slidablereception thereof into socket member 46, said socket being secured tothe side of step-ladder 48. Socket member 50, secured to saidstep-ladder, at a position spaced beneath socket member 48, providesadditional vertical and lateral support for the handrail I,hookconnector 26 being slidably received therein concomitantly with themating of hook-connector 24 and socket member 46.

It will be further observed that distance 2 and 7 separatinghook-connectors 20, 22 and 24, 26 are equal, thereby enabling registryof either said pairs of connectors with socket-members 46 and 50,inversion of said detachable ladder handrail merely being required toaccomplish securement of either arm portion within said socket members.

Accordingly, inversion of said detachable handrail, as shown in FIGURE 4of the drawings, fulfills the purpose of increasing the extended heightof said handrail with respect to top rung 52 of the step-ladder.

Thus, it will be appreciated that consonant with the foregoing, adetachable ladder handrail attachment is herewith provided which canreadily be attached, removed and varied with respect to the verticalheight level thereof when employed in combination with a conventionalshipboarding ladder, there being no adjustable or movable parts employedin conjunction therewith.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has form details,proportion and arrangement of parts, the

combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally statedconsist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, asdisclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A detachable ladder handrail for a step-ladder comprising a tubularmember having a pair of equal length arm portions, each arm portionhaving an end and a centrally disposed off-set portion, said off-setportion being integral with respect to said arm portions, one armportion having a first pair of bolt receiving openings adjacent its endand a second pair of bolt receiving openings relatively distant withrespect to said centrally disposed olfset portion, the other arm portionhaving a first pair of bolt receiving openings relatively distant withrespect to its end and a second pair of bolt receiving openings adjacentsaid centrally disposed off-set portion, the first and second pairs ofbolt receiving openings of each arm portion being respectively equallyspaced, a pair of hook-connectors interchangeably securable to said boltreceiving openings, said pair of hook-connectors being secured to thebolt receiving openings provided on one of said arm portions, a pair ofsocket members attached to one side of said step ladder, saidhook-connectors being removably receivable with said socket members tothus removably secure said tubular member to said step-ladder.

2. A detachable ladder handrail for a step-ladder comprising socketmembers attached to the side of said stepladder and a tubular memberhaving upper and lower equal length arm portions, said arm portionsdisposed in end to end off-set relation, connector means fastened tosaid arm portions, socket means fastened to the side of saidstep-ladder, said connector means being adapted to secure either saidarm portions to said step-ladder in parallel relation with respect tothe side thereof, either said upper or said lower arm portion extendingabove the top of said step-ladder.

3. A detachable ladder handrail for a step-ladder according to claim 2wherein said connector means is comprised of a pair of Z-shaped hookmembers, each hook member having two legs and a central oil-set portion,one said leg being contiguously attached to said arm portion, the othersaid leg being parallel spaced with respect to said arm portion.

4. A detachable ladder handrail for a step-ladder, a tubular memberhaving upper and lower equal length arm portions, connector meansfastened to said arm portions, socket means fastened to the side of saidstep-ladder, said connector means being adapted to secure either saidarm portions to said step-ladder in parallel relation With respect tothe side thereof, either said upper or said lower arm portion extendingabove the top of said step-ladder.

5. A detachable ladder handrail for a step-ladder according to claim 4wherein said connector means is comprised for a pair of Z-shaped hookmembers, each book member having two legs and a central off-set portion,one said leg being contiguously attached to said arm portion, the othersaid leg being parallel spaced with respect to said arm portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS325,441 Pearson Sept. 1, 1885 FOREIGN PATENTS 205,412 Great Britain Oct.18, 1923

1. A DETACHABLE LADDER HANDRAIL FOR A STEP-LADDER COMPRISING A TUBULARMEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF EQUAL LENGTH ARM PORTIONS, EACH ARM PORTIONHAVING AN END AND A CENTRALLY DISPOSED OFF-SET PORTION, SAID OFF-SETPORTION BEING INTEGRAL WITH RESPECT TO SAID ARM PORTIONS, ONE ARMPORTION HAVING A FIRST PAIR OF BOLT RECEIVING OPENINGS ADJACENT ITS ENDAND A SECOND PAIR OF BOLT RECEIVING OPENINGS RELATIVELY DISTANT WITHRESPECT TO SAID CENTRALLY DISPOSED OFFSET PORTION, THE OTHER ARM PORTIONHAVING A FIRST PAIR OF BOLT RECEIVING OPENINGS RELATIVELY DISTANT WITHRESPECT TO ITS END AND A SECOND PAIR OF BOLT RECEIVING OPENINGS ADJACENTSAID CENTRALLY DISPOSED OFF-SET PORTION, THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OFBOLT RECEIVING OPENINGS OF EACH ARM PORTION BEING RESPECTIVELY EQUALLYSPACED, A PAIR OF HOOK-CONNECTORS INTERCHANGEABLY SECURABLE TO SAID BOLTRECEIVING OPENINGS, SAID PAIR OF HOOK-CONNECTORS BEING SECURED TO THEBOLT RECEIVING OPENINGS PROVIDED ON ONE OF SAID ARM PORTIONS, A PAIR OFSOCKET MEMBERS ATTACHED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID STEP LADDER, SAIDHOOK-CONNECTORS BEING REMOVABLY RECEIVABLE WITH SAID SOCKET MEMBERS TOTHUS REMOVABLY SECURE SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TO SAID STEP-LADDER.